Venue Coordinator vs. Wedding Coordinator
Recently, I have heard from a lot of couples “my venue comes with a wedding planner.” As a wedding coordinator and a day of venue assistant I can confidently say that 99% of the time that couples say that it isn’t true. These couples have a VENUE coordinator not a WEDDING coordinator/planner. Not to say that this is the case for every venue but it is for most. While some venue coordinators will do similar things that a day of wedding planner will do but, most don’t. As someone who works in both of these positions I want to clarify the differences between these vendors. And why they are BOTH important to have as a part of your wedding day.
Venue Coordinator
Currently, I am working as a venue coordinator assistant at a venue in Elgin, IL. This is a day of coordinator position. At my venue the full time girls do a lot more than what a normal venue coordinator would do. They help with your timeline, running the ceremony (lineup and cueing), set up and tear down of personal items, confirming and coordinating with other vendors among other things. Normally, this is the responsibility of the couple if a wedding coordinator isn’t hired.
While working this day of position I have been witness to many errors that wouldn’t have happened if there was a wedding coordinator. There have been issues with seating charts being completely wrong resulting in them not being used. Vendors not having the right information. Programs printed incorrectly. Contracted times for vendors being incorrect. The list goes on and on. Many of these issues could have been avoided if a wedding planner was involved from the beginning.
Venue coordinators are great if they know what they are doing and present for your event. However, I have worked events where they are nowhere to be found or leave the caterer in charge.
Wedding Coordinator
On the other hand, a wedding coordinator or planner is there with you from the beginning of the planning process. They will have your back throughout the process and make sure that all of the decisions made are in your best interest. . They will also make sure that all of the details are correct. Like the seating chart for example. There aren’t a lot of options for a venue coordinator to fix an incorrect hand made chart. A wedding coordinator would have checked beforehand to make sure that it was correct so we wouldn’t have had to resort to open seating.
As I have touched on before having a wedding coordinator is only going to help your day and planning process run smoothly. But let me just say if you are on the fence about a wedding planner. At least hire a day of or month of coordinator. You want to enjoy your wedding day. You don’t want to worry about the photographer that is running late or the DJ that had too much to drink. And you don’t want your friends and family to deal with that either. They should enjoy and celebrate the day with you. They can’t do that if they are setting up centerpieces or telling the photographer what to do. Also, I cannot stress enough the importance of a good timeline and someone who is going to make sure other vendors stick to it. This makes sure all of your vendors are on the same page and always know what is happening and is supposed to be happening. If you are still unclear on what a value wedding coordinator provides please check out my blog Why to hire a Wedding Planner and Say YES to the Planner.
As I have touched on before each vendor in the wedding is important. The venue coordinator is just as valuable and important as the wedding coordinator. Having both of these professionals present for your wedding day is only going to make the event that much better for you and your guests.
